Involvement by residents of a community is essential for its improvement. Grassroots initiatives ensure the businesses and services a neighborhood needs are recognized and determined by its residents. But is there a point where such neighbor-driven initiatives become status quo, and what was once considered activism becomes part of the social fabric of a neighborhoods?
Last week, two THIH contributors sat down for a conversation with Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells and his chief of staff, Charles Allen. This week we’ve written about the key issues addressed: transportation; development; crime and schools. There were many unanswered questions, as might be expected, for long-term rubs like the negative impacts of Maryland commuters or the quality of neighborhood public schools. Time and time again the “action item” of the conversation came back to what neighbors were doing to resolve or address the situation. You’re complaining about squatters, speeders and schools; but you’re not just whiners — you’re doing something about it. From taking pictures to document the frequency of car accidents at a given intersection to sticking with and transforming local public elementary schools, our neighbors are putting in some serious elbow grease to support the continued evolution of Capitol Hill. We’re grateful for that dedicated ownership of resolving these issues, but it also might be part of the problem.
Are the city, and our elected officials keeping up their part of the bargain? Is there a point where we can start expecting our city leaders to take the lead?
It’s fine and good to applaud parents and committed PTAs for turning local elementary schools around, yet Councilmember Wells’ expectation that now they’ll need to do the same thing at a middle school where students last year tested in the 30th percentile in reading, and the 38th in math, leaves us feeling deflated and worried. It would have been much more encouraging to hear that the city has seen the fruits of parents’ work, and have developed a plan to reward that action by proactively working on middle schools. Expanding some schools into K-8 campuses sounds like a good solution; let’s get the discussion going soon to stave off the moving boxes.
A proactive government approach, committed to getting ahead of the problems that stir civic activism, is what we’re looking for to make our neighborhood streets safer for pedestrians and drivers. Regardless of how city planners classify our neighborhood streets, arterial or local, there are an unacceptable number of accidents at well-known intersections. We understand some heavy commuter traffic that has inappropriately spilled onto residential streets will be relieved when construction in the vicinity of H Street and Benning Road, Northeast is complete but, truly, the lack of respect by commuters, along with the frequent accidents and probably thousands of near misses, is intolerable. There should be a consistent police presence ticketing violators, and speed clocks that actually work, and the city should be able to find funding for light posts.
Mr. Wells, let’s keep this dialogue going. We’re counting on you to make the concerns of this community heard, and look forward to your proactive leadership and creative thinking that will inspire neighborhood activism, not depend on it.
